This invention relates to file conversion.
In recent years, standardization of the communication protocol and reduction in cost of communication apparatus and so forth have proceeded, and personal computers, which include a communication interface (I/F) as a standard function, have been popularized.
In addition to personal computers, also broadcasting apparatus for business use such as, for example, Audio Visual (AV) servers and Video Tape Recorders (VTRs) are often equipped with, or are capable of equipped with, a communication interface as a standard function. File exchange of video data or audio data is performed between such broadcasting apparatus of the type just described. It is to be noted that video data and audio data are hereinafter referred to suitably and collectively as AV data.
Incidentally, a file conventionally exchanged between broadcasting apparatus usually has a format unique to, for example, each model or each maker. Therefore, it is conventionally difficult to perform file exchange between broadcasting apparatus of different models or different makers.
Thus, for example, the Material Exchange Format (MXF) has been proposed and is being standardized as a format for file exchange.
The MXF takes not only file exchange but also streaming into consideration and includes video data and audio data multiplexed in small units such as frames. The MXF is described, for example, in Bruce Devlin, Snell & Wilcox, G-FORS MXF document controller, “MXF information centre”, [online], [searched on Sep. 19, 2002], Internet, <URL: http://www.g-fors.com/mxf.htm>.
The MXF includes video data and audio data multiplexed for each frame taking the streaming into consideration as described above. Therefore, the MXF has a subject to be solved in that it is difficult to use a broadcasting apparatus to edit video data and audio data independently of each other (AV independent editing) after a file of the MXF is fetched into a storage.
A method is available wherein a broadcasting apparatus converts a file of the MXF into a file of a unique format after fetching the file of the MXF. However, if a broadcasting apparatus converts a file of the MXF into a file of a unique format quite independent of the MXF and stores the file of the unique format into a storage, then it is difficult to handle the file on another broadcasting apparatus.
In particular, for example, a file of a unique format recorded in a storage of a certain broadcasting apparatus may be accessed from some other broadcasting apparatus through a communication interface such as, for example, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) or the Universal Serial Bus (USB). In this instance, however, if the latter broadcasting apparatus is not ready for the unique format, then it cannot handle the file of the unique format. Here, the broadcasting apparatus cannot, for example, read out the file of the unique format.
Meanwhile, where a storage of a certain broadcasting apparatus into which a file of a unique format is to be recorded is a removable recording medium such as, for example, an optical disk, the removable recording medium may be loaded into another broadcasting apparatus. Also in this instance, if the latter broadcasting apparatus is not ready for the unique format, then it cannot handle the file of the unique format either.